{"title":"Epidemiology of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome.","authors":"Lucas A Mavromatis, Morgan E Grams","doi":"10.1038/s41581-026-01078-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-026-01078-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, defined by the American Heart Association in 2023, describes the interconnected risks of metabolic dysfunction, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. By unifying these conditions, CKM highlights shared pathophysiology, overlapping risk factors and common therapeutic approaches. The staging framework, from ideal CKM health (stage 0) to clinical cardiovascular disease (stage 4), underscores the importance of prevention and captures the escalating risk of morbidity and mortality with advancing stage. Epidemiological data demonstrate increasing global prevalence and that most adults already meet criteria for stage ≥1 CKM syndrome, with stage 2 (defined by metabolic risk factors or the presence of kidney disease) being the most common. The burden of CKM syndrome is characterized by demographic, socio-economic and geographic disparities, with men and older adults most affected. Established determinants of CKM health include genetics, diet, smoking and physical inactivity, as well as social and structural factors; emerging environmental risk factors, such as climate-related stressors, are increasingly investigated but have a less established evidence base. Lifestyle interventions remain foundational and modern therapeutic classes - including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors and non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists - offer multisystem benefits, although cost, access and variable uptake remain important barriers. Here, we examine current CKM epidemiological evidence and highlight priorities for prevention, equity and future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":19059,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Nephrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":39.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147840522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Genomic medicine is failing most of humanity.","authors":"Oyesola O Ojewunmi,Segun Fatumo","doi":"10.1038/s41581-026-01079-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-026-01079-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19059,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Nephrology","volume":"322 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147731360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jacob Murray, Roos F Marsman, Rik H Olde Engberink, Liffert Vogt
{"title":"Salt and chronic kidney disease.","authors":"Jacob Murray, Roos F Marsman, Rik H Olde Engberink, Liffert Vogt","doi":"10.1038/s41581-026-01076-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41581-026-01076-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Disruption of sodium homeostasis has a central role in the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Excess dietary sodium can overwhelm regulatory mechanisms and amplify pathways that promote kidney injury, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. In CKD, altered sodium handling has haemodynamic effects, leads to activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and contributes to tissue sodium accumulation, endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory responses that further accelerate disease progression. Emerging evidence suggests that variability in these pathways - shaped by genetic predisposition and heterogeneous CKD phenotypes - may influence individual susceptibility to sodium-mediated damage and responses to therapeutic interventions. Although dietary sodium restriction remains a cornerstone of CKD management, improved understanding of sodium homeostasis as a multidimensional driver of CKD provides a broader framework for understanding disease mechanisms and may help to refine risk stratification and treatment strategies to enable maximal clinical benefit for patients at a high risk of sodium-mediated complications.</p>","PeriodicalId":19059,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Nephrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":39.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147729388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Community power building to reduce inequities in access to health care.","authors":"Kelli Owen,Nicole Scholes-Robertson","doi":"10.1038/s41581-026-01077-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-026-01077-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19059,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Nephrology","volume":"128 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147680367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
James D McCully,Aybuke Celik,Amish Asthana,Giuseppe Orlando
{"title":"Therapeutic and mechanistic insights on mitochondrial transplantation in kidney disease.","authors":"James D McCully,Aybuke Celik,Amish Asthana,Giuseppe Orlando","doi":"10.1038/s41581-026-01072-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-026-01072-2","url":null,"abstract":"Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are major contributors to global morbidity and mortality, with limited treatment options beyond supportive care. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a shared feature of both conditions, driving impaired energy production, oxidative stress and cell death. Owing to its reliance on oxidative phosphorylation, the kidney is especially vulnerable to ischaemia-reperfusion injury, a leading cause of AKI and a risk factor for long-term loss of kidney function. Persistent mitochondrial damage contributes to the transition from AKI to CKD, and strategies aimed at restoring mitochondrial health, therefore, have therapeutic potential. Here, we focus on mitochondrial transplantation, a therapeutic approach that delivers viable, respiratory-competent mitochondria to injured tissue to support recovery. Mitochondria for transplantation can be isolated from a variety of sources (autologous or allogeneic) without triggering an immune, autoimmune or inflammatory response, or a reaction to damage-associated molecular patterns. Isolated mitochondria can be delivered by intra-arterial injection, and, once in the target organ, they are rapidly integrated into the cells through endocytosis. Mitochondrial transplantation supports the restoration of mitochondrial function and associated signalling pathways, promoting enhanced organ function and cellular viability. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated improved kidney function, reduced inflammation and preserved mitochondrial structure following mitochondrial therapy in models of ischaemia.","PeriodicalId":19059,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Nephrology","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147680361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Seoyeong Ahn, Hyewon Yun, Seyoung Kim, Ziyad Al-Aly, Michelle L Bell, Whanhee Lee
{"title":"Atmospheric stressors and kidney diseases.","authors":"Seoyeong Ahn, Hyewon Yun, Seyoung Kim, Ziyad Al-Aly, Michelle L Bell, Whanhee Lee","doi":"10.1038/s41581-026-01073-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-026-01073-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The adverse effects of atmospheric conditions - including ambient air pollution from industry, wildfires and extreme atmospheric temperatures - on human health are well documented. However, their hazardous roles in kidney health have often been overlooked, despite the existence of plausible biological mechanisms for pathogenic effects. Emerging evidence from epidemiological studies indicates that exposures to ambient air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub>), nitrogen dioxide, ozone, wildfire smoke and extreme hot and cold temperatures may increase the risks of acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease and kidney failure, with experimental findings supporting the existence of corresponding mechanistic pathways. These findings suggest that exposure to atmospheric stressors contributes to a decline in kidney function and worsened health outcomes. Available evidence also suggests that certain populations may be particularly vulnerable to these stressors, further increasing their risk of kidney disease. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms linking ambient stressors to kidney health, along with the identification of high-risk populations, may help to guide research priorities and support targeted and pre-emptive action in nephrology.</p>","PeriodicalId":19059,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Nephrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":39.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147645882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}